Press Releases

WASHINGTON, July 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the eve of the anniversary of our nation's founding, Lt. General Claudia Kennedy and Col. Don Fowler, Co-Chairs of the Democratic National Committee's Veterans and Military Families Council released the following statement lauding the efforts of the President and Democratic Congress to support our veterans:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/DNCLOGO)

"On the week of the anniversary of the birth of the United States, the President enacted into law the 2009 supplemental appropriations bill which extends new benefits to those Americans who, like their ancestors of 1776, have voluntarily put their lives on the line to protect the American people.

"The men and women serving in the armed forces of the United States deserve access to the highest quality health care facilities and mental health programs available to help with their transition to civilian life. The President's budget request includes the largest increase to veterans funding in 30 years, building on recent efforts to modernize veterans hospitals and facilities and improve care for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

"And the historic benefits provided by the New GI Bill, which ensures a bright future for our warriors returning to a civilian life, will now be available to the children of those who have lost their lives in active duty."

After September 11, 2001, tens of thousands of Americans answered the call of duty and signed up to serve their country. Since then, under the Bush administration's stop-loss policy, they have been asked to serve double and triple tours of duty - putting a huge emotional and financial burden on service members and their families. As enacted by the President and Democratic Congress, the supplemental compensates those veterans who were asked to bear the extra burden by providing a $500 allowance for every month served under stop-loss orders since September, 10, 2001.

The bill also includes important provisions to support family members of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and lost their life in service to their country. The Fry Scholarship, a new benefit included in the bill, provides extended GI Bill of Rights college education benefits for children of service members who die in active duty.

To support military families, the bill also provides $1.8 billion for defense health programs that provide family counseling and traumatic brain injury and psychological health research. The bill supports the construction of nine wounded warrior support complexes to help wounded soldiers recover and invests $488 million in military hospital construction, as well as investments to complete construction at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

SOURCE Democratic National Committee

EDMONTON, Alberta, July 3, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fashion is never permanent -- one moment the makeup trend is black, tomorrow it could be smoky, and the next could be barely there. Fashion programs and beauty magazines everywhere only prove how a prevailing style fades away when another comes in. Author Lora Bertuccio and the R&L Studios teach readers how to catch up with the ever-changing trends of the makeup industry and shares the fundamentals of makeup with a new book released through Xlibris, Face It!

A complete manual for makeup artistry, Face It! teaches every reader the tricks that professional makeup artists use. It is a detailed instructional manual that not only imparts techniques for making faces fabulous, it also gives us valuable tips on skin care, hair styling, tools, and sanitation that every woman should know. This full color book shows stunning "before" and "after" transformation, fashion looks and concepts, and wild fantasy creations. It encourages every makeup artist to develop their signature style as they go through the learning process. Leaf through the pages and know the dos and don'ts of makeup application from the eyebrows to the lips -- and gain skill-enhancing advices of makeup application for every occasion from Bertuccio herself.

This is the perfect book for those who want to learn makeup for themselves -- or earn money as part time or professional makeup artists. Face It! is an inexpensive way for aspiring makeup artists to pursue their career, and for makeup lovers to get that gorgeous look they've always been wishing for. Author Bertuccio equips every interested reader with the information needed not only in doing the job, but also in doing it like a pro. Follow this guide with DVD's that can be ordered separately or as a set.

Learning how to Face It! boosts one's confidence and develops personal imaging and style. Order a copy of this book today. For more information, log on to www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author

Lora Bertuccio has been a professional makeup artist and instructor for over two decades. She has worked in the fashion industry with countless models, brides, students, and individuals. She has also been an instructor and owned several makeup schools all over North America throughout the years. She now is bringing her knowledge and experience, and giving her down-to-earth and personal approach, as well as all the tricks of the trade, to this incredibly innovative book and DVD series.

           Face It! * by Lora Bertuccio and R&L Studios
             Complete Makeup Artistry Course Manual
               Publication Date: July 1, 2009
       Picture Book; $41.99; 82 pages; ISBN 978-1-4415-4506-0
   Picture Book Hardcover; $51.99; 82 pages; ISBN 978-1-4415-4507-7

To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. Tear sheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.

For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.

CONTACT: Xlibris
         Marketing Services
         (888) 795-4274 x. 7876
         MarketingServices@Xlibris.com

FARMERVILLE, La., July 3, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thomas T. Fields, Jr. resurrects the memory of his politically prominent grandfather, Harvey Fields, with a biographical account that retells the marvel of his noble life released through Xlibris. Fields presents the man in a light he had never known in I Called Him Grand Dad.

I Called Him Grand Dad traces the beginnings of Harvey Fields and his steady rise through the Louisianan political hierarchy. Harvey Fields' politics was characterized by a keen sense of right and the high need to achieve, which he put to noble use by defending the rights of the oppressed and the laboring class in Louisiana during the Great Depression. His staunch belief in the precedence of law over all else founded his actions that displayed only the highest examples of honor and integrity, which was thoroughly blind to political position, rank, or prestige. Harvey Fields' political activism earned him the alliance of several like-minded politicians, as well as opposition from the Old Regulars and officials mainly working for self-interest, as the book reveals.

Fields supports this awe-inspiring story with more than a hundred of Harvey Fields' political papers and correspondence which were found in 2006, forty-five years after his death. These documents lend insights on the man, as well as on the tumultuous and fast-changing political landscapes in Louisiana and the entire nation. I Called Him Grand Dad is Fields' tribute to the man he only knew as his gentle, small-town lawyer Grand Dad who spent nights visiting their hometown's convenient stores discussing events and providing insights on a previous life. Fields shares the story of his grandfather's life with the world, in a way to set a fine example to politicians of today. For more information, log on to www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author

Tom Fields was born and raised in the rural North Louisiana town of Farmerville. He graduated from Farmerville High School and, at the age of sixteen, he became one of the youngest committee clerks in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Following a tour of Viet Nam in the Navy, he attended Northeast Louisiana University. He also graduated from the Louisiana Military Academy and received a commission in the U.S. Army Reserves. Following graduation, Fields became a project engineer for the oil giant ARAMCO Saudi Arabia. Fields currently works for CenturyTel where he is a Corporate Operations Manager.

         I Called Him Grand Dad * by Thomas T. Fields, Jr.
                Publication Date: July 1, 2009
       Trade Paperback; $19.99; 227 pages; 978-1-4415-3539-9
       Cloth Hardback; $29.99; 227 pages; 978-1-4415-3540-5

Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.

For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.

CONTACT: Xlibris
         Marketing Services
         (888) 795-4274 x. 7876
         MarketingServices@Xlibris.com

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, Cheez-It crackers - the little cracker with big cheese taste - saluted one of America's "big cheeses" by commissioning a cheese carving of patriotic significance, known as The Cheez-It Big Cheese(TM). This year, to commemorate the bicentennial year of Abraham Lincoln's birth, master cheese carver Troy Landwehr created his tallest Big Cheese statue to date: a life-sized rendering of America's 16th president.

At 6-feet, 4-inches tall, Lincoln is truly one of America's "biggest cheeses" - he still holds the record as the tallest U.S. President. Using a 1,000-pound block of Wisconsin cheddar cheese, Landwehr carved a rendering of Lincoln that measured 6-feet, 8-inches tall: Lincoln in a standing position, complete with his famous top hat.

The Cheez-It Big Cheese carving of life-sized Lincoln was on display at 2215 Constitution Avenue N.W. (between 22nd Street N.W. and 23rd Street N.W.) in Washington, D.C. - in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial - from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on July 3, to kick-off the Independence Day holiday weekend. Patriots and cheese enthusiasts alike had the opportunity to visit The Cheez-It Big Cheese carving of Lincoln, take photographs with the life-sized replica, and sample Cheez-It crackers.

"We are honored to help Americans celebrate the July 4th holiday each year with The Cheez-It Big Cheese carving," said Scott Hamric, senior director, brand marketing, Kellogg Company. "Cheez-It crackers bring the big cheese taste baked into each little bite, so it seemed fitting for the brand to tip our hat this year to our nation's 'biggest' president during his bicentennial year."

In 2007, The Cheez-It Big Cheese debuted with Landwehr's intricate masterpiece of the presidential portraits on Mount Rushmore, created from a 700-pound block of cheddar cheese. The Mount Rushmore carving was named one of the "Quirkiest Stories of 2007" by PARADE magazine. The 2008 Cheez-It Big Cheese carving was even larger: a replica of John Trumbull's iconic painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, created from a one-ton block of cheese.

About Kellogg Company

With 2008 sales of nearly $13 billion, Kellogg Company is the world's leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods. The Company's brands include Kellogg's(R), Keebler(R), Pop-Tarts(R), Eggo(R), Cheez-It(R), All-Bran(R), Mini-Wheats(R) , Nutri-Grain(R), Rice Krispies(R), Special K(R), Chips Deluxe(R), Famous Amos(R), Sandies(R), Bear Naked(R), Kashi(R), MorningStar Farms(R), Gardenburger(R) and Stretch Island(R). Kellogg products are manufactured in 19 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries. For more information, visit www.kelloggcompany.com. Kellogg Company's Corporate Responsibility report including its approach, progress and future direction in the marketplace, workplace, environment and community can be found at www.kelloggcompany.com/CR. For information on Kellogg Company's commitment to nutrition, visit www.kelloggnutrition.com.

SOURCE Kellogg Company

SALT LAKE CITY, July 3, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When an architect designs a building, he considers not only the location, foundation and structure, but also the operating expenses for the project. Since it is important to determine the feasibility of the plan being proposed, we need valuable tips and skills for estimating and pricing building elements. To provide necessary knowledge on this matter, author Moremi Mareka introduces a very informative resource, Building Estimates and Rates Build Up.

As an experienced professional in the building industry, quantity surveyor, and a former lecturer for technical colleges, Mareka deems it important to use his expertise to provide useful materials on this topic, since brigades and technical colleges do not have a relevant book to deal with estimates at present. An instructive guide for technical educators, individual builders, apprentices, small contractors and technical and brigades students, Building Estimates and Rates Build Up helps explain the subject of estimating and enables them to apply the skill whenever they have projects.

Mareka's edifying book sheds light on the complexity of this subject as it brings together pure mathematics and practical estimation, making readers realize that this is not as confusing as they think it is, for the formulas that are used in mathematics are also applicable in estimates. For the ones who are in need of educational materials on building estimates, or those who are into engineering and architecture, this book surely fits the bill. For more information, log on to www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author

Author Moremi Mareka has a bachelor's degree in Tech QS, a national diploma in Building, and a diploma in Construction Technology.

     Building Estimates and Rates Build Up * by Moremi Mareka
                        Second Edition
                  Publication Date: May 29, 2009
        Trade Paperback; $15.99; 89 pages; 978-1-4415-1390-8
         Cloth Hardback; $24.99; 89 pages; 978-1-4415-1391-5

To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.

For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.

CONTACT: Xlibris
         Marketing Services
         (888) 795-4274 x. 7876
         MarketingServices@Xlibris.com